The First Stargate
by sapphirerosha110
Summary: Everyone knows the Ancients built the Stargates. Where did they get the idea, and why is there a teenage girl frozen in the Antarctic outpost?
1. Alana

_The First Stargate_

_Chapter One (65 million years ago)_

Alana woke up and kicked the covers off of her bed. She slid her feet into her slippers and pulled her blanket back up over her pillow. She crossed to the window over her bedroom and whispered quietly to the planet outside.

"Oh, Huritatrea, another day."

Alana's people, the Alterrans, knew how to build and build big. The main city was so massive, that it had been built on the ocean. The elders used a powerful shield to protect the city even when sunken under the sea. Alana had never seen it. But she knew it was nothing compared to what they planned to build. Given time, it would be faster than even the fastest of their ships. That city would be placed deep in a different galaxy, with hyper-communications to the rest of the reaches of the Alterran space. Sometimes, visiting other domains in the empire took several suns to complete. Building the crown jewel of the empire would take longer. Fortunately, for Alana's people, peace and love reigned in the society. That stability enabled progress. And, nearly everyone was happy, with the small exception of Alana Maltra.

Unfortunately, Alana's father had no love for his daughter or for any female. Twelve years ago, Alana's mother died when her daughter was only three years old. Alana could only remember vague things about her mother. On top of it all Alana's father had no love for his wife. He favored her brother over her in every important way. Her brother was given privileges, opportunities, gifts, and favors. Basically, he got anything he wanted, because he was the only son. Instead, of being her friend and champion, Alana was left with a brother who had a mission to destroy whatever life she had left.

However, years ago, Alana's mother had the foresight to protect Alana. She asked one of her old friends to help take care of Alana. Sheria Emmagen had married a wealthy man and had borne nothing but sons. Unfortunately, several years ago her husband had died. With her sons all grown and married, Sheria had stayed for Alana's sake. Alana's father, though going against every principle of the society, kept Alana hidden away. He managed to pull it off because he was one of the most influential powers in the governmental food chain. No one wanted to accuse Egome Maltra of anything. Egome had the knack of making anyone's life miserable. Short of stature, balding, and downright ugly in form and spirit, he was a frightening character. His graying moustache and dark eyes made him look formidable and he was surprisingly strong. It was no surprise to Alana that he got his way in most things.

The only person that had definite proof of Alana's mistreatment was Sheria Emmagen. She had reported Egome to the authorities on several occasions, but her claims were never proven, and Alana continued to suffer. Egome, try as he might, could not purge Sheria from the home. He had gotten a restraining order, but Sheria produced one of the documents that he had signed years before that said Sheria was to protect Alana until she came of age. The restraining order was never given and he spent as little time around Sheria as he could.

Alana's father became even more abusive, thinking himself above the law. He forced the object of his ire into his abject servitude. The worst housework and domestic duties were Alana's daily chores. When they were left unfinished, an open handed slap across her face was the general punishment. Sheria had tried. She had fought. She filed a claim with the presiding governmental body. But, Egome Maltra was influential, if small in the land-holding department. He won the case against Sheria. From then on, he knew he was above the law, and that was the last that the South Outpost ever heard of Alana Maltra. She was never permitted to leave her home. Alana could not talk to anyone except the three other people in the house. The Outpost had nearly forgotten about her.

Considering that fact, it was a surprise when one day a government official knocked on the door asking for her.

She was quickly shooed away behind a curtain and Alana's father opened the door to him.

"I'm here to look for Alana Maltra."

"I'm sorry sir; there is no one here by that name."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your day."

"Fair day to you." He closed the door and then flung open the curtain behind which she was hidden.

"How did they find out about you?" He snapped in a harsh biting tone.

"I don't know, father."

"Why was that man here?"

"I don't know!" Alana was getting afraid of her father now, which happened often.

"Female, you do not even exist!"

"I have a name, father, my name is Alana."

"You do not have a name; you are one of the nameless vermin that find their way into the city." Alana promptly began crying. She tried to prevent it. She turned her face away but her father knew. She tried to keep him from seeing because she knew what happened when she cried.

"When you cry, I give you a reason!" Egome shouted and hit Alana hard in the face with his closed fist. She let out a cry of pain and fell to the floor.

"Father, why do you torment me so?"

"Because you are inferior." Egome spat and walked away. Alana rubbed her bruised cheek and walked down the hall to the kitchen. She curled up on her mat and Sheria put her arms around Alana.

"Alana, you'll be all right, I won't lie."

"But, why did it have to be this way?" Alana finally found her voice.

"Your father is an awful man."

"Sheria, inform me of matters which I have not already learned."

"You must understand though, that not all men are like your father. In fact, your father betrays everything that our society stands for. There are only a few that believe the way your father does. While you should be cautious, don't let the fear of men control your life."

"Why not? I have never known anything else." Alana leaned her head on Sheria's shoulder.

"My husband was sweet, kind and wonderful. I need to get you that book that I have on Alterran politics."

"Books won't do a Sun's corona for me right now!"

"I fought for you Alana. I really did. I filed so many complaints that the board of trials was getting angrier than a Tobin with a feather off his ear."

"What does that mean?"

"Something that shouldn't fall on young ears. Anyway, soon my claims began to grace deaf and unwilling listeners. The court had _most important cases_ that had to be seen, or they _couldn't find a slot_. With all of the things your father orchestrated in the legal system I am surprised they didn't suspect him for that."

"Maybe they did, and he paid them to keep quiet."

"I am starting to worry about you."

"Why?"

"Some of the things that you are thinking. Make sure that you make the right choice."

"The right choice for what?"

"Well your mother put it this way: In this changing universe there is only one thing we can control."

"What is that?"

"Whether we are good, or evil. I just want you to make the right choice."

"Sheria?"

"Yes child?" Sheria's words were calm and soothing, an oasis on the face of scorching Abydos sand.

"What was my mother like?"

"Oh." Sheria leaned her head back in remembrance. Sheria and Alana's mother, Jasera, were the same age. However, the pressures of life had more adversely affected Sheria's appearance.

"Must it take you this long?" Alana was curious, inquisitive about many things. Sheria had taught her to read and to write and smuggled her books and data devices. Alana yearned for more knowledge and ate it up quickly. She was a bright child. Perhaps even a genius. And she had a real gift for mathematics and the other sciences. Sheria did all she could to guide the youngster's mind and prepare it for the day she would be free. It was a pity that she had a deviant father who kept her locked up. As an unrestrained member of society, Alana might accomplish much. Only time would tell.

"Your mother was very beautiful. She had hair that flowed like black ocean waves. She was not too much unlike you. Her eyes were like two piercing stars."

"And she used that to her advantage?"

"Oh Heavens yes. Trust me, if someone offended your mother, they did not find unpleasant occurrences waiting for them. Your mother's eyes were revenge enough."

"But you always said she was nice to everyone."

"She was. After those that had offended her had been served retribution."

"And her eyes were the catalyst?"

"Yes."

"Was she nice?"

"Do you jest? Your mother was the kindest person in the Alterran Empire. Your mother once made friends with a girl who later told her that if it hadn't been for the friendship she would have gone home that day and committed suicide."

"My mother had that much effect?"

"Yes, she had a smile that was as bright as the shining full moon. Then our time of fifteen years came. All the fifteen-year old young women in the great city were gathered in the center gallery. The eligible males that were of age assembled there. The men began courting the women they desired for wives. All of this was formal of course. If a young woman was not interested she could simply refuse."

"Why did my mother choose my father?"

"All tyrants are great players. Your father was the picture of compassion. Even your mother's father liked him. He was the heir to the outpost sovereignty when his mother died because he was the last surviving child. He used to be quite handsome as well."

"Why did my mother not see?"

"He had all of us fooled."

"Sheria?"

"Yes my dear?"

"Why did you stay? Why after all these years have you remained here with me and my awful father? You have a husband and three sons."

"I stayed out of concern for you. When your mother gave birth to you your father released his hold on pretending to be a lamb. I saw what he truly was. I feared for your life. But neither the courts nor your father would give me and my husband custody of you. Your father would never let go. But he could not stop me from coming here. I also stayed out of respect for your mother, because a long time ago we made an agreement; she would help me raise my children and I would help her raise you and your brother."

"Why isn't she here?"

"She died Alana, all living things eventually do."

"My father killed her, didn't he?" Sheria froze. She stopped stroking Alana's hair and looked around the side of her head to look the young girl in the face.

"Why do you think that?"

"I'm right, aren't I? I can tell by your reaction."

"You didn't answer the question."

"You want the answer to why I think like that? Fine, I'll give it to you. I've seen the way my father treats me. I know that he would have been just as hard on my mother. When she had me instead of a second son he got mad. He killed her."

"No, your father didn't kill your mother."

"Then what did? Did she have a blood problem? A bone problem? What?"

"You'll understand when you are older."

"I want to understand now!" Alana began to raise her voice. Sheria put a finger to her lips and then whispered.

"It was that kind of attitude that led to the early demise of my sister." Alana's eyes widened and she closed her mouth she was speechless for a few moments before asking.

"What happened to your sister?"

"She wanted too much knowledge too fast. You know the data port, the one behind your ear?" Alana nodded as she put her index finger to the round metal opening.

"She tried to infuse too much information. It overwrote her basic functions like breathing and her heart beating. She died because her mind couldn't handle it."

"But why could you not teach Dar what you taught me?"

"He was less willing to accept what I taught. He wanted power and your father was going to give him the family fortune and the rest."

"Why could you not reprimand Dar when my father was not home?"

"I did. Your brother is like a cat that has developed a habit of sharpening his claws on a piece of furniture. After it has persisted for a while, it is hard to break the habit."

"What did he do?"

"Oh, the usual. He would curse, or merely stick out his tongue and dance around. I never understood that. Possibly it was a show of bravado that he was not afraid of me."

"You must face the tunes of music Sheria, you are no longer young. Perhaps he believes you could not physically reprimand him if you wanted to."

"I look worse than my years. I bore three sons and I am trying to protect you. The stresses of life take their wear on the appearance."

"Were you once beautiful?"

"My husband said I was, I never used to believe him. He said that every day I was more beautiful than the day he met me in the center gallery."

"Why do you not heed his comments?"

"Alana, you are beautiful, your mother was beautiful. I am not one of the people that beauty considers worth her while."

"How many are your years?"

"Two weeks ago I reached the age of thirty six years."

"Sheria, you look like an old woman of sixty!"

"I know age was a spirit that thought me worthy. Of all the gifts to find favor with I had to choose age!" The two women laughed over the joke, but Alana's mind soon drifted back to her father and brother.

"What does my father have planned?"

"He is teaching your brother the devious ways of politics and will leave him the land over which he is sovereign."

"What will happen to me when he dies?"

"Your brother will undoubtedly try to exercise the same power over you. However, your father will not longer be here to help him."

"But he has had twelve years of training in beating me down."

"And you have twelve years of righteous anger that will help you win."

That night Alana was lying on the pitiful area that she called her sleeping quarters and thought of what Sheria had said. She made up her mind then. She knew her father had not taught Dar everything that was needed to force her into submission so she decided to end it.

She thought of what could drive a wedge between her brother and her father. She knew that her brother's heart was not quite as hard as her father's. She crept quietly into her brother's room and picked up his portable data terminal. She turned it on and accessed the personal section of the public records.

Within the Great City, several data programs were run. Most of these programs were about interior decoration, exterior design, how to fix things around your home, and general improvement shows. But, there were a few shows that helped couples to meet based on mutual interests.

Alana filled out the form for her brother and submitted it. They were running out of candidates, so he was almost sure to be chosen.

Two days later an official letter came from the Great City. It did not say for what program he was summoned, only that he was to report to the Great city to appear on a data program.

Egome wanted to see when Dar would be on, and since all broadcasts aired live, the data screen was kept constantly turned on. Later that day, Dar was introduced onto the couple show. Alana had managed to see past the facade that her brother put up and got inside his mind. The woman that most closely resembled Dar, feeling-wise, was also quite beautiful.

Dar and Egome were flabbergasted. Dar had no idea what was going on, but Alana could tell for some reason that his attraction to the young woman was not an act. The woman was slim and graceful. Her hair was the color of a late sunset. The powerful red was cropped sassily around her soft features and was set off by sweet brown eyes and a creamy complexion.

Dar grasped for words and finally latched onto a soft

"You are so beautiful." She smiled an even, perfect smile and in a voice like the ocean she said

"Thank you very much."

"What do you like to do?" Dar managed to finally squeak out

"I like to fish, hunt, and spar, basically anything physical."

"Me too."

"I should warn you, I have several years backing on hand to hand training."

"I don't exactly have training, but I could learn."

"Excellent."

The program went on to set them up for a later date to get to know each other better. For now Alana was the picture of obedience. Until her plan worked, that is.

_Several months later_

There was a moving image capture device in the main room. That was why Alana's father never beat her in there. Plus, he couldn't have bloodstains on the carpet when important officials came over. Alana was peering around the doorway when her brother asked her father for a personal talk.

"What is it Dar?"

"You know when I was summoned to the city for that data program?"

"Yes?"

"Well, I've been spending a lot of time with Cyria, and we've decided to get married." Alana's father reacted exactly how she knew he would. He clutched at his chest and fell backward.

"Alana! Quick! Call the medical staff, I think he is having an attack!" Even though Alana knew it was too late, she didn't want to be labeled as doing nothing. She caught the silver device that her brother threw to her and she opened it. She punched in the emergency code and was connected to the medical team.

"What is the problem?"

"My father is having an attack!" Alana yelled as frantically as she could, especially when you factored in the state of her enjoyment. She realized that she should probably not be as giddy as she was over her father dying, but she could not help it.

"We'll be over immediately!" As promised, within a few minutes a team arrived. After examining him, the technician shook his head.

"I'm sorry, it appears that he received a shock and his heart gave out."

"I told him that I was about to get married." Dar said and bit his lip, but Alana could see the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Dar, don't cry, you're going to make me cry."

"You never liked our father!"

"That doesn't mean it will stop me from crying when I see you tearing up!" A tear rolled down her porcelain cheek. Dar wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. He cradled her head against his shoulder in what seemed to be a comforting embrace. Confused as to what to do, Alana simply stood there, leaning onto her brother.

"I'm sorry Alana."

"I never thought you'd say that."

"I didn't think much about what father did, or what I did for that matter. Not until I met Cyria."

"And then?" Alana stretched out her tongue to catch the tear that fell close to her mouth.

"Then I realized that I don't want to hurt you, or anyone. I'll protect you from now on."

"Dar, I have to be suspicious, this was an awfully fast turn-around."

"Talk to Cyria for a little while. You'll love having her as a sister-in-law. She can teach you more self defense than you ever learned on your own fighting me."

"I don't need self defense anymore, father is gone."

"There are only a few left, but there are still men that believe the way father did, and the way I used to believe."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Let me talk to anyone who tries to court you. Let me evaluate them so you don't end up like mom."

"What happened to her?" Alana's voice was muffled through the fabric of Dar's clothing

"When you were three years old, Mom and Father had an argument over you. He was cursing the stars and her and you. I guess that's where I got my influence. Mom was calm through all of it. I guess she was the type of person that's hard to tick off. But when she got started, oh my stars she was awful. Anyway, when father threatened to kill you, she said this really philosophical thing like he wouldn't kill you but you'd kill him or something. Then he threatened to kill her. He had the knife ready and stuff and then she turned into this glowing...thing and then floated away."

"I don't believe you."

"That was the same thing that mom said to Father. No one would believe the truth, so he would have to say that she died."

"How did he falsify the burial?"

"He said that he wished to have a private ceremony, you see that urn?" Dar pointed to an ornate pot in the corner."

"Yes."

"Empty."

"So mother is...gone? Just vanished?"

"We never found out."

"So what will you do?" Alana could not keep her mind off the situation at hand.

"Excuse me?"

"What will you do about the inheritance? The share of the Outpost? That backwater planet called Athos? What will you do about it? You haven't had any politics training, father never got around to it."

"I'll give part of it to you."

"Why?"

"It is the only thing I have to try and make up for twelve years of torture."


	2. Translation

_Chapter Two (Present day- SGC)_

"Is there any progress on the Antarctic Base?" Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter walked into the communications room.

"They've got nothing yet ma'am, still looking."

"Keep me apprised."

"Yes ma'am."

She walked to the elevator and slid her access card. The doors opened and she found Daniel, half-asleep, standing inside.

"Where are you headed?" He asked, stifling a large yawn.

"The Commissary, I _need_ coffee, what about you?"

"Same thing, I was awake until three A.M. finishing that translation from X7N-991."

"You've been doing that a lot lately. Staying up late."

"I know, and I know I shouldn't."

"Then why do you?"

"I get carried away. C'mon, don't tell me you've never stayed up until the wee hours working on a naquadah reactor or something?"

"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't. But are you sure you aren't just avoiding going to sleep?"

"Why would I do that?" He yawned again.

"There is an outpost full of Ancient writing. I bet every time you close your eyes you think about it and you can't fall asleep."

"You're getting closer."

"You try to remember stuff about when you were ascended, just like I try to remember stuff about Jolinar."

"Bingo."

"But why do you take up the time with translations?"

"That's what I do for fun. What about the reactors you work on?"

"I just keep saying five more minutes and it turns out to be half the night."

"There, you see, everybody can get carried away."

"But Daniel, I've only done that a few times, this is, what, the third time this month?"

"Fifth."

"Please don't use that name around me."

"Sorry Sam, I thought we were past the whole betrayal thing. He wasn't human, no matter how similar he seemed."

"I know. Do you think they'll find anything in Antarctica?"

"Well, a chair, ugly architecture, and maybe a few weapons, why?"

"Do you think they'll find people down there?"

"The ZPM was dead when we got there."

"So that means the suspended animation stasis chambers probably wouldn't be working, I get it. But what if there are more like the one we put Jack in? Couldn't there be more Ancients down there?" But what if there were two ZPM's, one to run the chair and the other to run the suspended animation chambers?"

Daniel raised his eyebrow in a skeptical way. To which Sam replied

"Why do you keep doing that? You know that when you raise your eyebrow it freaks me out. Besides, only Teal'c can do it right."

"But a raise of the eyebrow is such an efficient form of disagreement."

"Yeah, back to the subject, what _have_ they found out about the outpost?"

"Just that it's an outpost of a larger city."

"Right, anything else?"

"The organics in the architecture pre-date the Stargates."

"What?"

"The Ancients are from Earth, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"They had large ships capable of interstellar travel, but when, why, did they decide to build the Stargates?"

"I don't know Daniel. For all we know the first gate could have been an experiment gone wrong, or a fifth grade science fair project. It might not have been an intended technological advancement."

"Like airplanes, sort of."

"I don't get the connection, the Wright brothers achieved what man had been trying to do for centuries."

"Airplanes are the most efficient form of transportation...on Earth, right?"

"Yes."

"But they have also opened the door to the spread of disease."

"True."

"So, the Stargates let you go thousands of light years in a single step, but they opened the door to the Ancients plague."

"Which wiped out almost the entire Ancient race."

"Exactly."

"But the original idea was brilliant."

"We have to find some fragment of it."

"But how did they do it? The thinking is so far beyond us Daniel that we may never understand it."

"We can at least try."

"What I want to know is, why we've never found any remnant. There is nothing! There are no ships, no crystals, not even a stinkin' ray gun!"

"There is the chair though, that was pretty cool."

"Yeah, I guess it did kinda save our big pink butts from Anubis."

"Big pink butts?"

"I've been hanging around Jack too long. Remember when we were asking the Asgaard for help about the K'tau sun and Jack told them we'd saved their 'little gray butts' enough times that they owed us one... big time?"

"I guess I do." A small smile crept onto Daniel's face and he chuckled at the thought.

"We leave tomorrow for Antarctica."

"Better pack my afghan."

"Take two!" Sam yelled back


	3. Freedom at last

_Chapter Three (65 million years ago)_

Alana approached the doors to her home. Those were the doors that had kept her imprisoned for most of her life. She cast a cautious glance back at Dar, who said

"If you want to go, go! I won't stop you! You've been cooped up in here to long. Go out! See the sun!"

Alana nervously pushed open the doors and stared down the corridor. At the other end was the platform she sought. Walking swiftly, she approached. On the broadcasts she had viewed in secret, she saw the platform, but had never been on it. Cautiously she placed one slender bare foot onto the cool flat stone. She placed the other one on as well and the symbols glowed blue. The platform sank slowly into the dark shaft and reached the bottom. The platform spun around and she walked, squinting, into the midday Huritatrean sunshine. Alana turned her pale face skyward and stretched out her arms. She bathed in the glory of her freedom. She heard a male clear his throat and when she opened her eyes she saw before her the handsomest boy she had ever seen.

He was about her age and slightly taller than she was. He had long brown hair that nearly fell into his eyes. His eyes engulfed her; they were the clearest blue she had ever seen. Alana was entranced

"I am sorry, I must look like a terrible fool."

"Quite the contrary, I am sorry for staring." Alana was reeling, he was very good looking and he had apologized to her. Alana had only received an apology once and it had only been mere minutes ago. Frantically her mind groped for words and she blurted out

"What is your name?"

"I am called Dintael. What are you called?" Alana shifted and said nothing. She didn't quite want to trust him yet. Not after what she had been through.

"Very well then, is there any way that I can assist you?" Dintael reached out a helping hand toward her. Alana stepped away, unsure of what it meant. When he looked confused Alana responded

"I'm sorry, I don't know of the significance of your outstretched hand." Alana shook her head and shied away. She was still getting used to the idea of friendly contact from men.

"All right, that is fine." Dintael dropped his hand to his side. A question popped up in Alana's head and burst out before she could stop it.

"Tell me one thing; have you ever seen the Great City, the one below the surface of the sea?"

"I live there, or I did. My father was transferred to this outpost."

"What is it like?" Excitement numbed her sharpened instincts

"Have you never seen the images?"

"The only part of the Great City I have seen is the broadcast room. Even so, that much I only saw on the data screen." Her conscience reprimanded her for speaking so much

"Great towers of stone rise from the ocean floor. The shield keeps the water from flooding into the city from above, and the city is kept perfectly level, so that the water below does not enter. There are small bays and lakes formed by openings in the stone, and the eight piers each face a direction of the Compass Rose. Underwater ships ferry people into and out of the city at all hours of the day. It is a wonder to behold." Questions whirled in her mind but she silenced her thoughts with a crushing foot. Before she blurted out anything else, she forced herself to say

"I have to go now." And with that she spun on her heel and scuttled away.

_Later that day_

Dintael sauntered back to his home. He swiped the card through the lock and waited for a small beep. When it came, he turned the small knob and opened the plain gray door to a barren gray living room. Taking off his coat, he tossed it over one chair and flopped down on another one sideways. He rested his head on one of the arms and his feet dangled over the other arm.

Staring up at the flat expressionless ceiling he thought about the girl he had met in the plaza. Her hair was as dark as a black hole and her eyes were bright emerald green. He thought there must be flecks of other colors in them. He couldn't get his mind of the confused way they had sparkled at everything.

Nonetheless, the mission had to be accomplished. He had a mission to himself to obtain knowledge and to use it. The girl had the look of the intelligent. She had a lucid mysteriousness about her that signified thought and a comprehensive mind. However, there was something odd about this one. She didn't seem to be up to date on the normal expectations of society.

He had to think of a plan. That was a specialty. Plans, hand-to-hand combat, and observation were his strengths. This plan would take more time than the others. He could tell already that she was independent. Plans were so much easier on worlds where the women were less enfranchised. All of the plans led to the same end. The willing transfer of knowledge, and then she would have to disappear. After all, he couldn't have an accusatory pawn floating around.

Dintael estimated that over the years he had collected knowledge from at least a dozen, probably more. Still, he was waiting for the trick that would hit the spot. The deception that would finally be entertaining appeared to have arrived. Dintael thought he had found it. The girl in the plaza had not told him her name, but he could find out. Also he waited for an idea that would allow him to retire richly.

Yes, he had found an interesting one, he just had to wait and see if she would pay off.


	4. A heated arguement

_Chapter Four (65,000,015 years ago)_

"A female!" Egome Maltra was enraged.

"Egome, she is your daughter, look at her."

"I will not, woman! Why did you not bear a son?"

"According to scientific studies, Egome, it is _your_ fault that our offspring is female."

Egome Maltra yelled curses to the sky.

"What shall we name our daughter? I leave the decision to you Egome."

"Name her what you wish, she is not mine."

"When I bore your son you did not rail and curse like this."

"Think! You are a foolish unintelligent woman!"

"I find it humorous that though we have been married for more than a decade, you do not call me by my name."

"You were betrothed to me. I am not required to love you. I am not required to call you by your name, for you do not deserve it."

"Very well, I shall name her Alana."

"Why bestow such a high name on such a lowly form."

"She will not always be this way, she will grow strong and graceful, and you will never be rid of her."

"She is but an infant of three, how hard would it be to take up my knife and slay her this very moment?"

"You will never kill her, but she will return the favor."

"Where do you get this confidence, woman?"

"You can make her a slave in her own home, a target for epithets, wounds and scorn, but you will never kill her." Alana's mother, Jasera, looked with cool-headedness into the angry eyes of her husband Egome Maltra.

"No, I'll kill you first."

"Follow your promise." Egome pulled his knife and lunged at Jasera. All at once she turned into a floating ball of luminescence. He fell right through the energy and dropped his knife. Alana slept in her cradle, her back turned on the scene.

"Jasera?" For the first time in ten years Egome Maltra spoke the name of his wife, not out of respect for her as a sentient being, but out of fear at what she had become. Her face appeared in the center of the light and she spoke

"I was a well educated member of the Great City. My early research was of what comes after. There was a record of the very intelligent shedding their bodies and becoming like what I am now. From now on you will know me as Oma Desala."

"Jasera..."

"No one will believe you, the story you will tell is that I died." The shining form floated over to the cradle and said

"My darling daughter, I wish I could take you with me, but you must learn a lesson first. When it comes time, you will join me." She disappeared through the ceiling and Egome picked up his knife again. When he walked to the cradle, he found his hand incapable of either releasing the blade, or of striking. Sheria walked into the room and shrieked.

"Dear mercy! What are you doing?" She rushed over and picked Alana up from the cradle, putting herself between the baby and the blade.

"Keep her quiet and hidden that is all I ask." Egome walked haughtily from the room and Sheria whispered

"You will always be protected." Two glittering green eyes flickered quietly in response.


	5. Not even a stinkin ray gun!

_Chapter Five (Present Day)_

"Hey Daniel, got anything yet?"

"No, I could use some help though."

"Okay, what?"

"Well, we need some more people trying to thaw out this outpost."

"I'm on it!"

"Thanks Sam!" The city was larger than they thought. Apparently, the chair room was part of an underground defense system and not an actual building in the city itself. However, the room containing the chair was directly beneath the center of the city. He looked around and tried to decide where to start. He decided that the chair was as good a place as any. He translated the writing around the chair before moving to the walls.

"So, what have you got so far?" Sam walked into the chair room

"Not much, there is no mention of the Stargate anywhere."

"Nowhere?"

"Zip, nada, nothing, bupkis."

"They could have kept it all in data files."

"Have you seen a terminal anywhere?"

"The old buildings are filled with stuff like that, but if you'd rather stay here..."

"Where are they?"

"Come with me." A set of steps led from the chair room to the city above and Sam showed him to the largest building in front of them. He walked in among the lit consoles.

"Whoa." A low murmur escaped his lips

"We brought a technician that has the gene; he turned them on for us."

"I guess."

"We thought it was that one over there." Sam pointed to a stone column about three and a half feet high that had a top covered in clear keys with blue symbols. He touched the stone around the keys and they lit up. Streaming lines of Ancient writing slipped past on the screen and Daniel squinted up at it.

"Here's something, Doorway in the Stars. I'll try to access it." He tapped a few of the keys and a flashing red message appeared."

"What does it say Daniel?"

"Files encrypted, requires active matrix disc."

"Active matrix disc?"

"Yeah, I don't think we'll be getting these files anytime soon."

"They could be very useful; they could contain the instructions to build a gate or better, a DHD."

"Yeah, I know, but without this 'active matrix disc' I can't do much."

"It'll probably be around here somewhere."

"I'm an archeologist, but I really don't feel like digging anymore."

"You've been awake for 41 hours, hit the sack."

"See you in about ten hours."

"O.K."


	6. Wistful thinking

_Chapter Six (65 million years ago)_

"What are you thinking about?" Dintael asked Alana. She was staring straight ahead, indicating she was deep in thought.

Alana was startled out of her reverie and was understandably irritated. She snapped at him rather harshly

"Why are you here?" Dintael backed off a little and apologized.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to know what you were thinking about. You have the air of an intelligent type. If it's something technical I could help you, I mean I've had some training in—"

"I don't need your help!" Alana jumped to her feet and screamed in Dintael's face. Her eyes flicked from anger to regret and a pensive mood. She bit her thumbnail and added in a meek voice

"I am sorry, that was inappropriate of me." Her desire to apologize for everything probably stemmed from the attitude in which she was raised.

"No, I shouldn't have said that." Dintael was annoyingly calm. Anger boiled up in Alana again. Who was this boy, and why did he feel the need to apologize all the time?

"If it took you a scream in the face to realize _that,_ you are a waste of my time." Alana snapped

"Easy, easy, do you want to talk?"

"No I don't!" A

"You spiteful..."

"The same word my father used." Alana murmured through clenched teeth.

"What was that?"

"My father used to always call me spiteful before he hit me." Dintael blinked and took a few steps back. He felt sorry for what he had said, knowing now that Alana had been raised poorly. Recovering quickly, he reminded himself about the mission. He lowered his voice and said apologetically

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Then why did you say it in the first place?" She barked to his face.

"I probably can't even fathom what you've been through."

"Then why don't you stop making assumptions about my feelings?"

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that! It isn't your fault."

"What else can I say?"

"I don't know, but what I'll say is goodbye!" For the second time, Alana left him with a view of her back. However, this time there was something about his eyes that made her want to return.

_A few days later_

Once more Alana was sitting in the sun when Dintael appeared.

"Is there anywhere I can go where you won't find me?" She didn't look up from the book she was reading.

"Theory of Egwir Physics? That's a fair deep subject."

"I am an intelligent woman."

"Yes, quite I gathered."

"Why do you follow me everywhere?"

"You are the first female to have shown me disdain. It is a new sensation that I wished to explore again... and again." His hand crept closer to hers. She drew it back. Then she planted her own with all of her strength along his left cheekbone.

"Daah!" He cried out and raised his left hand to his face. The area below his eye was already becoming a mottled purple.

"Is that a sensation you wish to experience again? Because in that case; I would be more than happy to grant the request."

"Why do you feel the need to react physically to everything that I say?"

"Because that's how I was treated for twelve years. Old habits die hard, sorry if that was too cliche."

"Well, beautiful _and_ feisty eh? Okay, I can handle that."

"What makes you think that I have any interest in you whatsoever?"

"If you did not..." He leaned closer so that Alana could feel his breath on her ear "...you would have stalked away in a huff by now."

Alana turned her head to face Dintael. His blue eyes held hers in a trance that she could not break. Her conscience screamed at her to spit at him, or hit him with the hefty book that sat in front of her, but her heart overrode her motor function. He leaned toward her and once again her instincts were to run away, but she could not. Her lips met his and an elated sensation calmed her mind that was shrieking. Then all at once it was back again.

"I have to go." Alana stuffed the physics book into her bag and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She slung the canvas loop across her shoulder and walked away. Dintael leaned his head on his hand and stared after her with a sigh. Her long skirt blew with the wind and the angle of the sun slanted through the light fabric in such a way that he could see the silhouette of her slender legs. Alana paused and then turned around. Their eyes locked and an infinite message leapt from one to the other. She turned back and pondered the glance. She tossed her head and crossed the plaza to the space she had bought with part of the inheritance that her brother had given her.

_It is too soon, don't trust him. Not after everything you've been through_. Her conscience murmured to her, but she was so taken with the kiss that it went almost unheard.

Sitting in the outdoor courtyard, Alana had in fact been considering methods of transportation. She was beginning to think that, for all the advanced technology, the Alterran Empire must certainly have a better means of moving people from one location to another. She had been studying the universal physics to figure out the equations needed for such a device. Physics excited her mind as no other subject could. Throughout her lonely days, Alana had developed a keen and logical mind. Without the normal girlish distractions, she poured herself into her studies. The satisfaction gained from puzzling out the secrets of the universe made up in small measure for the meagerness of her life. Now that she was free, the subject still held her fascination.

_Later that same day_

"Hello again." Alana said as a shadow crossed the page of the book she was on. She had almost finished.

"Why are you studying physics?"

"Why should I tell you?" Alana turned the page and felt two strong hands on the sides of her face. Dintael lifted her face to his and kissed her hard. Her mind was sent reeling again and she barely found the words to say

"Well, I _can't_ tell you now, I can't talk."

"Well, I see I made an improvement."

"Why do you follow me everywhere? Wherever I am, there you are too."

"When you care about someone, there's nothing that will stop you from being with them."

"You have only known me for a few days."

"A few days are long enough." Dintael kissed her again and this time she returned the offer.

"So what are you doing? I'd like to share. It's better that way, sharing." He turned such intense eyes upon her she could not pull herself away. He had a reassuring presence. But Alana was afraid of ridicule. He could see her hesitation. "Seriously, what has you so absorbed?"

"I'm trying to build a device that will let out people go from domain to domain in a single step.

"I find that quite interesting."

"The fact that I am trying to build it, or the fact that I'm studying it?"

"Both really. On one of the planets they found an abundance of a very interesting stone."

"Why do you tell me this?"

"This stone conducts energy like nothing we have ever seen."

"What do they call it?"

"They have not assigned to it an official name, however, for the moment they are calling it naquadah."

"Divine stone." Alana murmured under her breath, her eyes darting from side to side.

"Would you like some?"

"How would you deliver this naquadah to me?"

"I work at the science center, I could say that I was taking a small amount for testing. Which I would be doing... only I wouldn't be doing the testing."

"The fourth door from the right on the third building over to the left from the ceremony bureau building. Have the delivery there within two hours."

"Yes ma'am."

"Just make sure you have it."

Alana sat in her main space and finished reading the physics book. She heard a soft knock and opened the door to find a package that was about twelve inches by twelve inches. She dragged the weight inside the door, surprised at how heavy it was. A small card fluttered to the floor. Careful script read: _I am sorry if I have offended you. I can attempt to make it up if you will meet me outside the third door on the left of the first building to the left of the ceremony bureau._ Alana thought for a moment about why she should trust him. She picked up the data transmit device and asked to be connected to Dintael.

"Hello?"

"Dintael?"

"Yes?"

"Why should I let you try and make up?"

"Do you enjoy listening to live music?"

"I have never listened to live music before."

"Well then, I'll take you to the best music arena in the Great City."

"Why should I let you show me the Great City? I could always hire a guide."

"Would the guide buy you dinner and take you walking on the piers?"

"No."

"Do you want to see the city? Listen to music? Walk along the piers? There is a colored current that will pass right over the shield over the North pier."

"I suppose it would be rather nice." Dintael's voice was breaking down the warning signals in Alana's mind.

"All right then, I'll meet you in fifteen minutes outside the door to your home." She wondered how he knew where she lived. But in her excitement it slipped her mind.

"All right." Alana put on the more formal of the two dresses she had. It was slightly roomy and it was a deep royal blue. After the plain canvas dress she had worn all day every day for several years, it was a great improvement.

Alana sat on her couch and nervously waited for Dintael's soft knock. When it finally came she thought she crossed the room in a single leap. In the light that shone out from inside her foyer, Dintael complimented Alana on her looks. Together they walked to the station and got on the transport.

"Thank you."

They walked to the station on the south side of the outpost. The craft they were on rose into the air and when they had flown some distance and were over the ocean, it sank below the surface. Alana looked out in amazement and wonder. As fish rushed past she looked behind them to see where they went in the wake of the ship. As she did so, she thought of a song that Sheria had played to her as a young girl:

_Do you ever wonder_

_What lies ahead?_

_And what lies behind_

_Or if what you've just passed is dead?_

_Do you ever wonder_

_What's to the side?_

_As you're rushing past life_

_Straight ahead, with no end in sight_

_Do you ever think _

_About where you've gone?_

_Sitting alone in the cold_

_Thinking you're the only one?_

_Do you ever wonder_

_What's to the side?_

_As you're rushing past life_

_Straight ahead, with no end in sight_

As the pod rushed past the water she remembered that she had to stop and appreciate things once in a while.

The transport pod moved carefully under one of the arms of stone that formed a pier. It surfaced and water streaked off the sleek contours of the advanced transport. A voice came through the announcement system saying.

"Docked at City Central, south west pier."

Alana stepped out of the transport pod and onto the pavement of the southwest pier. She looked up in wonder at the tall stone columns and her mouth wouldn't close. She tried to take in the splendor of the command center for the entire Alterran Empire.

"How do you like it?"

"It is...quite large."

"I knew that would be the first thing that you said, come, I'm taking you to the finest restaurant in the City."

"I don't think that I want that."

"Why not?"

"For twelve years my meals were whatever Sheria could find to cook for me, and then later whatever I could find to cook for myself. I fear that if I try food like that, I would never want to stop eating."

"What was your favorite thing to eat?"

"I did not have a favorite thing. My food was without flavor."

"You are not an easy woman to agree with Alana."

"You are not easy yourself."

"There is an entire avenue of places to eat, why don't we go there and you can decide then?"

"What do you recommend?"

"The clams are wonderful this time of year."

"I believe then that I shall try the clams."

They ended up talking for hours about various things. They strolled slowly along the stone paths and ended up at the North Pier. Dintael pointed upward and Alana followed the direction of his finger with her eyes. Swirling blue, purple and pink washed above the shield, bathing the whole landscape in color.

"Blessed fury!" Dintael looked at the central timekeeper and leapt up.

"What is the hurry?"

"The last transport back to the outpost leaves in ten minutes." Alana jumped up and blessed the fact that all she had elected to bring was a small wallet for her citizen identification card. The lightweight case provided an easier parcel than a large bag. She and Dintael looked quite a sight running along the southwest pier and they jumped on just before the final call. Alana was out of breath and leaned on Dintael for support.

"Well, that was the most excitement I had in my life!" Alana managed to gasp out and she smiled.

"I hope that your experiment goes well, when you finally get it running."

"Why do you bring this up now?"

"You are incredible, and I wanted you to know that."

"Thank you."

The transport arrived and Alana and Dintael stepped off. He escorted her back to her house and kissed her good night.

"Thank you for the lovely evening."

"Likewise."

Alana shut the door and Dintael walked back to his home. Alana leaned up against the inside of the door and rested her chin on her clasped hands. She had a flurry of motion in her stomach and began to get ready for bed.

_The next morning_

The next morning Alana woke up and decided that owning only two dresses would not do at all. She picked up the data transmitter and called Sheria.

"Sheria?"

"Yes Alana?"

"Would you help me to choose clothing?"

"Of course, why do you ask my council?"

"You stayed beside me through it all."

"Very well, when does the next transport leave for the Great City?"

"I am unsure. I'll meet you at the transport station in twenty minutes."

"All right."

The two women met at the station and found that there was a transport that left in a short amount of time. They boarded and the transport once again went above the ocean before dropping down into it. Alana was once again taken aback at the sights rushing past her.

"What is it?" Sheria looked out to where Alana was staring.

"The underwater life is beautiful." Alana sighed as she looked out at the colorful fish that came into view for only a few moments. The pair stepped off the transport and looked around.

"So, where shall we begin?"

Let's find a directory before we do anything." Alana said, ever with a planning mind. Sheria and Alana found a map of the city and saw that one section was entirely devoted to marketing. Quickly making their way, the two women saw the marketplace. Gray gates parted to an open atrium, around which on all sides rose tiers of shops, five stories high. Sets of moving steps zigzagged everywhere to provide easy access. The clamor was amazing. Couples, groups and vendors all chattered animatedly.

Windows displayed the central wares of each shop and Alana found that a majority of them were sanctioned for clothing. Sheria ran excitedly after Alana. She remembered back to when she and Jasera had done the same thing.

"Come on Sheria!" Alana exclaimed as she spun around. The fifteen year-old's eyes gleamed with pleasure. Though she may have looked sixty, Sheria had the muscles of a well toned thirty six year old.

Alana ran into the first clothing shop she saw and looked around the hanging clothes. One of the women that worked in the shop walked over and asked.

"Is there anything with which I can help?" Before Alana could say anything, Sheria interjected.

"Well, she doesn't know her size, and the last time I was fitted it was before I bore three sons."

"Sheria!"

"I haven't had the time, and besides, I'm not sure I want to know how much my figure has changed." Sheria responded and adjusted her bag.

"Right this way." The woman ushered with her right hand toward a series of curtained rooms.

A flexible tape with markings on it was wrapped around Alana's hips, waist and bust. She was slightly disturbed, but Sheria nodded that it was okay. The qualms were slightly eased. The fitter took the measure of her neck to waist and waist to floor.

A series of calculations that looked odd to Alana were made and the woman announced.

"Your size is a class four. If the garment needs additional tailoring, we have several attendants that are available. Happy shopping!"

Alana dashed out to the clothing racks once more and looked at the thin transparent tags attached. Stock code rushed by in intersecting lines and at the bottom was the size. The fabrics varied in weight and she saw a gold dress that was simple, casual and elegant. Pulling it down from the rack, she held it up to herself and showed Sheria.

"Why don't you see how it fits?" Sheria suggested and motioned to a different set of curtained rooms. Alana walked into one and closed the partition. A few minutes later she came walking out with the gold dress on. Sheria wrinkled her nose in disapproval and Alana looked in the reflection. She too disagreed with the result and kept looking through the clothes.

"This is amazing." Alana said as she looked at one of the attendants. A machine scanned the differentials in the size and the fit of the garment and then placed it on a flat belt that moved into an area enclosed with glass. With the press of a few buttons the blouse was altered to fit the wearer.

"I know, they have gotten more sophisticated."

"Really?"

"Yeah, when I was a little girl they had to do that by hand. You might spend weeks waiting for your outfit to be properly tailored."

"Wow."

"What's that?"

"The woman is choosing a color that would better compliment her tones."

"Oh, I understand."

"So, about these clothes..."

"Can I pick a different color?"

"Different color, print, texture, you name it. That little machine over there can do it all."

Several hours later they were both weighed down with bags from several stores and carts.

They passed a store that had a sign saying "Revitalize! Re-energize! In a few minutes you can look years younger!" Alana smiled at Sheria who shook her head.

"Yes Sheria! I'll pay for it. Come on!"

"All right." Sheria handed the bags she was carrying to Alana and walked into the room. A small half circle of a counter ran past and a woman sat behind it reading. When she saw Sheria walk in she jumped up and picked up the writing utensil that had been laying down on the counter.

"How many and what treatment?"

"Just me, and whatever you've got that'll make me look my real age, I'll take it."

"If you don't mind my asking ma'am, how old are you?"

"Two weeks ago I turned thirty six." The receptionist's eyes widened and she plastered a smile to her face.

"Well, I'll see what we can do, right this way." She showed Sheria to one of the padded chairs and Alana sat on one of the benches that lined the opposite wall.

"Alana?"

"Yes?"

"What do you think I should do?" Sheria was looking through several pictures of treatments available.

"I don't know, this one looks kind of nice."

"I'm not sure red would look good on me."

"Fine then, what about this brown and they'll make your skin just a bit darker, and your eyes this really pretty shade."

"All right."

"Ma'am, if I may?" The woman who would be doing the treatments put in.

"Yes, I'll take any advice right now."

"Since you have delicate features, I think that the style you are looking at is a little extreme. Maybe a paler tint of eyes and hair would be better."

"Whatever you think will look good, do it."

"You're granting me the freedom to do that?"

"Yes, I trust you." Sheria emphasized the last words through slightly clenched teeth.

"All right, lets get started." The woman took out several long, thin, gray devices. One of them had a small curved point at one end. This tool she held at a very precise angle and pricked Sheria's skin ever so slightly. Thin mounds of blood seeped up and Alana became alarmed. Sitting up straighter she asked

"Are you all right Sheria?"

"The pain is almost undetectable."

"As long as you remain well."

"Yes Alana." The woman had made three pricks on Sheria's forehead, one on each cheek, and one on the chin. With a smaller, flatter device, she turned on a slight hum. Alana could see the excess skin pull tighter and become firmer. The blood and pricks disappeared. As the beautician pulled something else out, Sheria asked

"How do I look so far, Alana?"

"Your physical appearance has greatly improved."

"Well, that sounds nice." Sheria smiled and folded her hands over her stomach. Small diodes seemed to protrude from the bottom of the device. Holding it about a quarter of an inch away from Sheria's cheeks, the woman swirled it in small circular motions.

"What did that do?" Alana asked, fascinated by it all.

"That stimulated the blood vessels. There is more blood circulating so she looks healthier and has more color."

"Oh." Alana stacked all of the bags below the bench so she could prop up on her hands. She wanted to see all of the things that could reverse the signs of aging. After much more poking, prodding and light waves the treatment was finished. A mirror was lifted from the table and handed to Sheria. Promptly she began to choke up.

"What is wrong?" Alana inquired.

"Nothing is wrong. I am happy beyond words." Sheria put a hand over her mouth and then hugged the woman who had done the procedures.

_"I get this a lot." _ The woman mouthed over Sheria's shoulder to Alana who nodded in understanding. Alana was the next recipient of a hug and she soon began crying as well.

"I'm glad you are happy." She whispered to her mentor.

That night Alana fell into bed, exhausted from her strenuous day. She thought of the naquadah package and vowed to open it as soon as she woke up.

_The next morning_

Alana woke up and un-wrapped the package. With a strong knife she tapped the ore and it split into four fairly even pieces. Lugging them one at a time, she dragged them into her bathing room and waved her hand over a sensor. A bright white light shone from the ceiling of the bathroom. She filled the sink with water and dropped a chemical mixture into it. The slabs of naquadah were slid with difficulty along the hewn basin of the sink. The chemical made the impurities crumble and stain the water. It became so cloudy she couldn't see anything below the murky surface. With a great effort, she hoisted the slab out again to find the stone shining in the bright light. She repeated the process with the other lumps of naquadah and then set them on either side of the sink. Excitement flooded her and she took out a folded piece of paper from her bag.

She had stolen the recipe from the science center for a substance that would make a fire burn extremely hot and mixed the ingredients together. Donning eye protection, she poured the viscous substance into the deep bathtub and repeated the process twice. Then Alana lit a stick and dropped it in. She squinted against the scorching flames and put one of the lumps in a crucible. Placing it in the fire, she watched as the naquadah melted down to a gray fluid and then she removed the crucible. Carefully she poured the fluid into a mold and repeated the actions. After she had done this, she dropped a chemical tablet into the bathtub and the flames vanished, the fuel evaporated and there was no sign that a fire had even been there.

It was a good thing that a few ventilation openings were free to rid the room of the fumes. The naquadah as it melted gave off a strong odor of rotting flesh. Nearly, gagging, Alana managed to make it through the melt-down.

The next morning, she split the molds and out fell two small rings. She attached wires to the material to test how it conducted energy now that it had been melted and re-shaped. The numbers she got in response were phenomenal. At once the wires were removed and she examined the rings she had created. Each one had the striations of the naquadah present but was otherwise perfect.

Alana shook her head, the ring needed to be controlled. The device needed mechanisms that would allow it to contact the other one. Then all of a sudden she got an idea. The young scientist ran out to the plaza and looked up at the starry night sky. Alana captured an image with a small device and then when to the central reference center. She typed quickly and discovered that a transport was leaving in a few minutes for the closest planet in Alterran controlled space. She raced to the station and leapt aboard just as the doors closed. The craft rose and there was a bright flash. The jump was apparently a quick one because they re-appeared in the upper atmosphere of the planet. When they landed Alana got out, captured another image, and got back on. She returned to her home and, though excited, had to go to bed.

The next morning she jumped out of bed and attached the device to another one and the images printed out. She compared the two night skies and saw distinct patterns and shapes. She outlined them with a thick writing utensil. She found thirty-eight similar constellations and one that was different on each picture. That night she took a picture of a night sky from a different planet. She compared them and found the thirty-eight constellations similar and the one that was different.

Alana assessed in her head what she needed. For one thing, she would need a powerful sensor, able to lock onto any combination of the thirty-eight symbols. That sensor would have to become part of the physical make-up of the item itself. Then it hit her. All of the doors in her home were opened and the sensors were cannibalized. All except for the front door, the doors each had the activation crystal ripped out. The home's central data terminal was accessed and stored the information that she had just learned. Alana walked around the house again, gathering this time the memory sensors rather than the detection ones. On a whim, she put the small crystals into a shallow mold and poured a tiny amount of molten naquadah over them. When it cooled she attached the disc to the terminal and saved the data in the fresh memory crystals, the pathways were created by the naquadah shell. A message appeared on the screen that said:

Please enter name of new storage device.

Alana bit her lip for a moment before typing in "Active Matrix Disc".


	7. Ready for testing

_Chapter Seven (65 million years ago)_

The young scientist documented everything she discovered on the disc and after about ten weeks the experiment was ready for testing. Sensors from the buildings of old doors were easy to find. Her nimble fingers had whisked them away, in addition to the newer, more powerful sensors from unimportant doors in government buildings. After tying all the sensors together, each one represented a different constellation on a small naquadah keypad. A moving image capture device was set up and Alana left it pointed at the device on her research desk. The captured imagery would immediately be transmitted and stored in the matrix disc.

Alana put the other ring in her bag along with the keypad and departed for the transport station. The trip again took only a short while and she stood outside the transport station on the planet in the neighboring system. Once took the ring out of her bag, she set it upright on small stilts. Using a narrow pointer, she tapped the star arrangements she had captured from the Huritatrean night sky in on the pad and watched the indicator lights activate. The engage button was pressed and a small vortex erupted from the middle of the circle. She gently pressed a finger to the rippling energy and felt a cool sensation of nothingness. A folded up piece of paper was prepared for the test. With her forefinger, Alana placed it through the watery illusion. Pressing the disengage button, the rippling surface disappeared and she got on the transport home. Alana burst through the door to her home and saw the scrap of paper sitting next to the ring she had set up on her desk. She took the active matrix disc and placed it in the terminal. On the screen appeared an image of the ring activating and the small piece of paper popping through. She smiled and exclaimed in spite of herself.

The next day she met Dintael for lunch again.

"I figured it out!"

"What did you figure out?"

"Remember that idea I had? The one about the transportation?"

"Yes of course, how could I forget?"

"I made it work!"

"How did you do it?"

"Ten weeks, a lot of scavenging, research and brain-power."

"You actually figured out how to transport matter from one point to another?"

"Yes."

"That's wonderful!"

"I only tested something inanimate, and I will use an insignificant animal for living matter transport, something like a snail."

"I am very proud of you. Honestly I expected you to attempt it, but I never thought you would succeed."

"For a while I did not think so either."

"Where did you store your research?"

"A disc of my own design."

"What did you call it?"

"Active Matrix, it contains every encryption that my terminal uses, so the changing cipher matches the decode information and voila!"

"Really?"

"Yes, why do you ask so many questions?"

"I don't know, I guess that I am proud of you."

"I believe that I love you."

"Don't waste your life too fast. It was only when my parents were our ages that this was the prime time to be married. Enjoy yourself more. You obviously love what you do."

"I am going to submit my idea to the science council."

"I am happy for you."

"You don't sound that way."

"Do I?"

"Indeed."

"I do not understand why I would. I am genuinely happy that after being locked up you are finally free."

"Would I not be free as a spouse?"

"Yes, of course, but you would only be able to do what we have done with me, you would not be able to explore being courted by other men."

"Who says that I even want to?"

"What does your heart say?"

"My heart says that I love you, but my mind still has a few issues to work out. It is quite an interesting battle.


	8. A proposal and a deception

_Chapter Nine (64,999,998 years ago)_

"Dintael?"

"Yes my dear?" Dintael had taken to addressing Alana as 'my dear' she liked to hear it.

"When will you ask me to marry you?"

"I don't know, how about today?"

"Do you mean it?"

"Yes."

"Thank stars!"

"Alana Maltra, will you marry me?"

"Yes, you crazy procrastinator, yes! I was ready to marry you two years ago."

"Why have you not submitted your idea to the science council?"

"They wouldn't accept it."

"Why not? You are probably the smartest person in the outpost, gender withstanding."

"The science council told me that with the current influential political winds it would be unwise to accept the submission of an unbound female."

"Which is a really fancy way of saying..."

"The powers that are leaning on them right now don't want them to accept my proposal because I'm not married."

"Well you can submit that as soon as we're married."

"I plan to."

"When would you like the wedding?"

"Can we have a private ceremony? Later we can have the big elaborate thing with the flowers and decorations and the pretty music, but for right now, I just want a small ceremony out of which I come with a license that legally shows that we are married."

"The ceremony bureau has slots open today."

"That would be absolutely lovely."

_Later_

Alana and Dintael walked to the Ceremony Bureau wearing the same clothes they had on the night that they caught the last transport back.

They stood in front of the keeper of the ceremonies and held hands. The Keeper of the Ceremonies cleared his throat and said:

"The small gathering we have here today is to bear witness to the joining of Alana Maltra and Dintael Jansok."

"Keeper?"

"Why are you interrupting the ceremony son?"

"There is no gathering, just the bride, groom and you sir."

"Right, therefore I shall skip to the vows. Do you Alana Maltra solemnly vow to love this man and be a faithful friend and companion that only death separates?"

"I so vow."

"And do you, Dintael Jansok solemnly vow to love this woman and be a faithful friend and companion that only death separates?"

"I solemnly vow."

"Then, by the power given me as the Keeper of the Ceremonies, you are joined. Dintael, you may kiss your bride." And boy did her ever! Alana melted into his arms and The Keeper raised his eyes to the ceiling.

"The love is what makes it worth."

That day, Alana moved everything from her home to that of Dintael. As she moved her things odd conversations sprung up.

"What property does your inheritance claim?"

"I do not have much, my father left me with a small claim to part of this outpost and a planet somewhere in another galaxy by the name of Athos."

"Seventeen is a bit young for a matriarch, who did you leave it to, should anything happen?"

"I left it to Sheria and her family. She has three sons."

"Do you know about the power room?"

"Power room? How is that related to the conversation?"

"It suddenly came to mind that I haven't shown you the power room yet. Would you like to see it?"

"Sure." Alana and Dintael set down the piece of furniture that they were moving and they walked out to the center plaza. Dintael pressed a button on the remote on his wrist and white light surrounded them. When Alana looked again, she was in a room that had a chair and several chambers lined one wall.

"Do you have that disc?"

"Yes of course, why?"

"I'd like to take a look at your research."

"Sure." Alana reached into the bag that was never absent from her side and drew out the case that she used to carry the disc.

"Thank you!" Dintael rounded on her as soon as he had the disc.

"Dintael what are you doing?"

"The snakes are the best actors love."

"No! I can't believe this!"

"Believe it love, it is too late for second thoughts." He pushed her back into one of the suspended animation chambers and pressed a button. She was standing, mouth open, ready to strike. From his own bag Dintael pulled four large crystalline structures. He then opened a compartment in the console and locked them into the vacant spaces. On a last thought he pulled out a fifth and placed it in as well. He closed the compartment and walked in front of the chamber. He stood in front of it and said

"Well, there ought to be enough power in those to last you for, oh, seventy million years. And remember, never trust a snake." He sealed the doors behind himself and there Alana Maltra Jansok slept for close to sixty-five million years.


	9. An idea for a device

_Chapter Ten (64,999,998 years ago)_

Dintael walked away, the small silver disc palmed in his hand. For a moment he felt a twinge of guilt for using Alana the way he did, but he had to shake it off. Dintael wasn't in the business of falling in love, he was in the business of getting information to use for himself.

As he opened the door to the Science Bureau Building, the secretary looked up from her desk.

"I need to speak with the Overseer of Scientific Proposals immediately."

"Yes sir." The secretary pointed him down the hall to the end and Dintael knocked on the door. He heard the acknowledgement and walked in.

"What do you have for me Mr. Jansok? Is it another tropical fruit peeler that crushes instead of peels?" The Overseer didn't look up from his record book.

"This is far better sir."

"I'm listening."

"I have the plans, research and quantitative evidence on a device that will allow our people to 'dial', so to speak, another domain in the Empire and be there instantly."

"Mr. Jansok, I know you far to well. I know that you could not have come up with that technology on your own. Who was it that helped you? Hmm?"

"There was no help sir."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive sir."

"Well, I'll take a look at it. What media did you use?"

"I used door memory crystals linked by a shell of naquadah. I call it my Active Matrix Disc."

"All right."

_About a week later_

"Well Mr. Jansok, I have to admit, this research is quite impressive."

"Thank you."

"Naquadah is bursting from the mines all over the galaxy, I'm sure we'll have no trouble making these, what was it you called them?"

"Stargates, sir."

"Ah yes, the first connection we'll make is between Adybosa and Huritatrea. After that we can branch out farther."

"An excellent idea sir."

"I was reviewing this disc. It was very ingenious of you to add the two extra capacitors. They will take the overload energy and buffer it. They also add the extra distance calculations. I suppose you knew this would be an instant success."

"I think big sir."

"Well, we'll begin work immediately, good job son."

"Thank you very much sir."

Dintael thought of Alana sitting in the suspended animation chamber. The chamber was set to revive her in seventy million years, but by then the continent would be covered in ice. It was the perfect way to get the pawn out of the way.

_Several years later_

The Huritatrea team was set to depart. The crystalline structures powering the Stargate were at full charge. The constellation code was input and the Stargate stabilized. The city had risen and traveled for eighteen days and nights to reach the new home. It had become part of the new structure that would be the ultimate accomplishment of the Alterran Empire. Dintael had set everything for departure. The outpost was closed down as they prepared to depart for Atlantia. Standing, he watched everyone disappear and then he left an electronic note attached to the dialer. He looked in the direction where he knew the chair room was. A slight twinge of guilt panged before he squared his shoulders and took a single step toward a new life.


	10. Thawing

_Chapter Eleven (Present Day- Antarctic Base)_

"Hey Daniel, we have a frozen girl!"

"What?" Daniel Jackson was surprised to see in one of the suspended animation pods, a young girl of around seventeen years old with a look of anger in her eyes.

"Maybe my ZPM idea was right after all."

"Maybe."

"I wonder what she knows."

"She's a sixty-five million year old ancient, she could probably tell us a lot."

"Do you think we should try to revive her?"

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna need a med team standing by with blankets and be ready to take her into a sterile environment."

"I'm on it!"

"Thanks Daniel!" While Daniel went to get the medical team Sam prepared to thaw out the chamber.

"Okay Sam, everybody is here."

"Okay!" Sam ran her finger around the already active consol. The girl fell out and her eyes locked on Daniel. She gasped and scuttled backward, clearly afraid.

"Check her out." Sam ordered. The medical team approached slowly but the girl appeared to plaster her back to the wall of the chamber. It was obvious she feared that the team was going to cause her physical harm. They checked her heart rate and tried to take a blood sample, but she thrashed so much that they were afraid to stick her, incase she started hemorrhaging.

"Off! Get off!" She finally screamed and the technicians jumped back, as though they were burned. Sam looked in shock and amazement that the sixty five million year old girl could speak English.

"We won't hurt you." Sam said as she dropped down to Alana's level and looked her squarely in the eyes. "We just need to screen you for pathogens. Will you let us do that?" Sam's voice was calm, even and soothing. Daniel had only heard her talk like that a few times, and one of them was as she consoled Cassandra. The girl slowly nodded and one of the officers approached with a vial and extracted a tube of blood. She watched, transfixed, as her blood flowed into the small container.

"Sam, make sure to be careful, remember Aiyana. This girl could be carrying the plague."

"What plague?" The cowering seventeen year old stuttered looking from one to the other

"Two years ago we found someone like you. She made us very sick. It was a plague that wiped out your kind."

"All dead?" she murmured softly

"Yes, I'm afraid so." The girl surprisingly leaned her head back and smiled. She began to laugh, but slipped into unconsciousness.

"Get her monitored and back to the SGC ASAP." Sam ordered and the medical teams began moving as fast as they could.

_Infirmary, several hours later_

Alana woke up and Sam began to gently ask

"Hi, how are you feeling?" but Alana shook her head and motioned to her throat.

"I understand. Those breathing tubes can be nasty."

"Nasty?" She stammered through the word.

"Yes, it's a sort of idiom. It means unpleasant or odd."

"I see." Her voice was weak, as was expected after several million years in suspended animation. Quite literally frozen in time.

"What do you call your world?" Sam began the questioning gently.

"You don't even know that? Huritatrea." Alana reacted as we might.

"Huritatrea?"

"Yes." Alana's eyes fluttered slightly and something in Sam clicked.

"I think I notice a pattern." Sam picked up a piece of paper and wrote the word Huritatrea. Crossing off each letter as she re-arranged it, she made two words: _Earth _and _Tau'ri_.

"Why did you have to make me suffer more?" Alana turned her head to face Daniel who looked very frightened.

"I did nothing, my name is Daniel."

"You look very much like my husband, Dintael Jansok."

"I'm not him; I have a similar name though, Daniel Jackson."

Alana studied his face more closely. "No, you are not him." But I don't think I shall ever trust another man again. Alana thought to herself. Her face fell as she looked at the machines around her

"I don't want him here." She whispered and looked back at Sam.

"Why is that?" Sam had taken a renewed interest in the conversation. Alana didn't say anything; but she turned her eyes on Daniel and pierced him with the two glittering emeralds.

"I'm going to take that cue to leave now."

"Probably a good idea." When he had gone, Alana turned her head back to Sam.

"I will talk to you about these matters and you alone. I trust you because you are a woman. I was born with a life of misfortune. My mother died when I was but three years old. After that my mother's friend, Sheria Emmagen, was my only comfort. My father abused me, and aided my brother to the same end. Whenever I cried it was made worse. My father always insisted that tears belonged to pain, so he would hit me when I began to cry." The long statement seemed to drain Alana's energy and she slumped backward onto the infirmary bed.

"No woman should ever be treated like that!" Sam reacted appalled.

"I know, and my own husband felt no differently about women, that they should be slaves. That devious treacherous liar looked so much like your friend here, that I could not help but think it was he who had come to mock me."

"I trust this man with my life daily; you have nothing to fear from him."

"Perhaps, but I still shall not trust men."

"So getting back to that, you built the Stargates?"

"Yes, he delivered the naquadah to me and I built two rings. Then a sensor pad that tracked the constellations as they separated. My first experiment was a success. I managed to send matter from Adybosa to Huritatrea using my invention. Before that worthless man stole my research." Again Alana's passionate opinion caused her to breathe heavily and close her eyes to regain strength.

"We call that planet Abydos now."

"Oh, well how lovely. I want revenge on him!" Alana's heart rate began to rise.

"Calm down, we don't want you going into shock."

"How will I have revenge?"

"I'm not sure that will be possible, you see, that was sixty-five million years ago."

"Sixty-five-million-years?" Alana coughed in an attempt to comprehend

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid, pretty much everyone you ever knew is probably gone." Sam paused. She wondered if she should call security because Alana seemed a little unstable

"How do I know that I can trust you? How do I know that sixty five million years have passed?"

"I guess you'll just have to believe."

"I've trusted too many people and been stung too many times." Alana spoke literally, as a young girl she found a scorpion and did not know that it could hurt her. She barely survived because her father didn't want to admit that she existed and take her to a medical facility. That only deepened Alana's mistrust for Egome Maltra.

"I'm sorry, I don't know how to prove to you that I'm telling the truth." Sam was getting impatient. This had worked on the Tok'ra! Alana was unconvinced. If sixty-five million years really had passed, why wasn't the society of these humans more sophisticated? Why hadn't they screened her already?

"We'll, I killed my father. I had never contacted my nurse after I left and there is no way Dintael could have survived, so that makes sense."

"You killed your own father?" Sam was shocked. The way she felt about her own father and what happened. She felt like she had lost him twice.

"Indirectly of course. I submitted information about my brother to a data broadcast program. He met a girl named Cyria and when my brother announced that he would marry Cyria my father had a shock induced cardiac arrest." Alana could string together longer sections of speech without being drained.

"You have to understand, that patricide is highly frowned on."

"It was when I did it too. But no one ever knew it was me!" Alana leaned her head back and began to laugh. Sam sat up and looked at the Airman standing in the doorway.

"Airman, could you procure restraints for this young woman?"

"Yes ma'am."

"That will be unnecessary."

"I'm afraid it is. We can't have a murderer loose on our base."

"My father was the target because he was a cruel, malevolent, sonofa—what are you doing?" Alana stopped mid-thought as restraints were fastened around her wrists. She struggled against the bonds and then sat back in defeat. Sam said the only thing of which she could think

"I just want you to know I am sorry for your losses." She thought of how odd it sounded and was interrupted by Alana's next statement.

"Don't be, Sheria Emmagen is the only one you should feel sorry for, and my brother Dar I suppose. The rest don't deserve pity. In fact, I hope that they are in a place that is much warmer than their hearts." Alana smiled and cracked her knuckles with a gleam in her eye. Sam had a rather warped sense of curiosity now.

"What happened to your brother?" She asked timidly

"Well, after he married Cyria, he had an enormous change of values. Prior to that he would attack me and beat me whenever he could. After he was married he became compassionate, loving and caring. My mind was spinning so fast I didn't know what to do."

"What did you do?"

"I let him help me. When I told him that I was in love with Dintael he tried to discourage me. He told me that Dintael was awful and wicked. I should have listened."

"Why didn't you?"

"My relationship with Dintael had _progressed too far._"

"Oh." Sam said and with it came a wave of understanding.

"I could have been killed for it. It was a strange rule in our otherwise Utopian society. My father however wasn't much for that."

"What did he do?" Sam thought she already knew the answer.

"He abused my mother, and later me."

"That's awful." Awful didn't quite cut it, but it was the only adjective that came to Sam's mind.

"I realize."

"What else did you do?"

"I was given part of the inheritance, my brother passed it birthright to me."

"What was your share?"

"A planet in another galaxy called Athos."

"Athos?"

"Have you heard of it?" Alana inquired excitedly.

"Yes. Who did you leave it to, since you were obviously presumed dead?"

"I left it to Sheria Emmagen, she was my nurse, and her three sons."

"That would explain it."

"Explain what?"

"Even now, sixty five million years later, the planet of Athos was still under Emmagen control."

"What do you mean, was?"

"They had to be evacuated when the Wraith attacked."

"What are Wraiths?"

"They are actually a hybrid of human DNA and that of an alien creature we have called the Iratus bug."

"These, bugs, are they about two feet long, they have four legs, a hard armor and a fleshy under-part?"

"Yes as a matter of fact."

"I visited Athos once, I saw those bugs there. Are you saying they adapted human DNA into their own strains?"

"Yes."

"Amazing, I mean the ability they must have had to map out the DNA strand that far..."

"They didn't map it out."

"How did they incorporate the DNA?"

"They fed off of humans and adapted that way."

"How?"

"As near as we can tell, they attack the cells themselves, as the cells age they take that excess life in through glands in their make-up."

"Were more Stargates built?"

"That was a fast snap of subject." Even Sam's mind didn't leap that fast and it sent her reeling

"I know, I have a mind that is constantly jumping from topic to topic."

"A vast network of Stargates was built, unfortunately two deadly enemies found out how to use them. The Goa'uld and the Wraith used your invention to further the worlds that they had conquered so they wouldn't have to spend days in a ship. Meanwhile, while all that was going on, your race suffered a plague and ascended to a higher plane of existence to avoid it. They then descended and used a device on Dakara to restore life to the galaxy. We are the second evolution of your kind."

"Second evolution?" Alana wheezed. She leaned forward to make sure she had heard correctly

"Yes, then, about sixty five million years ago, the Ancient Empire—"

"Ancient?" Alana cut her off, confused.

"Yes, that is what the Asgaard called you, the ancients, the road builders, the Romans learned how to built roads from gods known only as the 'ancient ones' I believe that is where the name originated. What did you call yourselves?"

"We were known to all as the Alterrans."

"Really?"

"Yes, please continue."

"Um, oh yes, then, the Ancients up and left for the Pegasus Galaxy. They built a city called Atlantis where they lived until about ten thousand years ago. The Wraith attack had gone on for more than a hundred years and they had sunk the city with a great shield beneath the ocean to protect it. Finally, they had not other option but to leave. So they packed everything up and came back to Earth where they spread the myth of Atlantis and died out. That's why some of us have the gene that you have. It allows some of us to operate your technology."

"Such as the terminals."

"Yes."

"Well, the Alterrans must have had some reason for all the genetic research."

"Hey Daniel!" Sam called down the hall

"What is it?"

"Come here a second!"

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

"Oh." Daniel groaned in disappointment

"You control him?" Alana asked Sam incredulously

"Only when necessary, Daniel you had better get yourself in here NOW!"

"All right, all right, geez. What'd you want me for?"

"You were right; before they ascended the Ancients were Alterrans."

"Really?"

"Ask her yourself."

"I don't think she'll tell me."

"Hello? 'She' is right in front of you guys. For crying out loud!"

"Okay, so she built the Stargates so she's a science genius, she's an ancient so she can tell me about her culture, half the time she talks like Teal'c, and she's sarcastic the other half? She's SG-1's dream!"

"Well one thing's for sure, The General will like her."

"No kidding."

"What?"

"You seem to be perfect to interact with every member of my team."

"You command these men?" Alana was still getting used to the idea of a woman controlling men; and she had a positive attitude.

"Only two of them; the General is my superior officer, he is a few ranks above me in the military."

"However, most of the time he acts like a five year-old so you don't really have anything to worry about, he is intimidated by more intelligent people anyway." Daniel added and Sam rounded on him

"Daniel you, I, Teal'c, and the SGC all know that the General isn't as dense as he lets on."

"That may be so, but we are talking to the woman who invented the Stargate! No offense Sam but she's smarter than you!"

"How so?" Sam got defensive

If she created the Stargate, she had to have created the DHD. It was a wonderful accomplishment but I have to agree with Rodney McKay on this one. All you came up with was a bunch of computers lashed together that glosses over half of the Stargate's codes."

"Oh really? How about I revert to calling your precious technologies 'rocks'?"

"Don't you dare! I just got Jack trained out of that."

"Why don't you go dig up some rocks while I tie a bunch of computers together to make a lame jury-rigged dialing system?"

"You!" Daniel threw a punch at Sam's face, which she blocked with her hand, punching him in the stomach she threw him across the infirmary. He landed with a scream and a groan and she rushed over to him.

"Daniel, I am very sorry."

"I don't know what happened."

"We got in a friendly argument Daniel."

"Yeah, real friendly, I tried to punch you and you threw me across the room."

"At least you admit to starting it. That takes a lot of character."

"We'll what can I say? Other than OWWW!"

"Sorry about that, but there's a lesson, never try to hit an angry Air Force officer with advanced hand to hand training."

"Believe me, I'll remember."

"I'm sorry." Alana jumped in.

"Why?"

"I think I transferred some of my violent attitude into you two. I am still quite irate about the fact that my husband stole my research."

"What?"

"My feelings or my actions."

"The combination of both really. Are you telepathic?"

"Huh?" Alana made an inquisitorial noise

"You transferred you feelings into us because you got so mad your body couldn't hold it?"

"Something like that."

"Wow."

"What?"

"You have an exceptional range of abilities."

"We're sorry about the whole research thing." Daniel piped in and both Sam and Alana looked over at him. For the first time Alana responded civilly to something he said.

"So am I. You said something about needing a dialing device?"

"Yes."

"I can build you one."

"You can?"

"Of course, I had invented it recently when Dintael locked me in there; all the information is still fresh in my mind."

"Really?"

"If you have enough naquadah I could build you another Stargate if you wish."

"That would require..."

"...a lot of work." Sam started and Daniel finished.

"Obviously the technology has evolved in the last sixty-five million years, but I still have the basic knowledge."

"Colonel Carter to the debarkation room. Colonel Carter to the debarkation room." The technician summoned over the loud speaker. She made her way to the designated area for the receiving of the Prometheus objects and personnel.

"What is it?"

"This was just arrived from the site." A folded sheet of clear material had a streaming message written on it in Ancient. The message reached the end and started over.

"What have you found on it?"

"Only that it is addressed to Alana Maltra." Sam took the message back to the infirmary.

"This just arrived for you." Sam said and handed her the message.

"Then it must have been left behind after everyone had gone." Alana unfolded the data screen and read it to herself. Tears welled up in her eyes, but it was visible that she bit them back.

"What does it say?"

"It's an apology."

"Who is it from?"

"Dintael."

"You mean the one that tricked you and locked you in the chamber?"

"Yes."

"What does it say?"

"A lot of things that I'd like to keep private, but here's the choker: _Alana, I'm sorry I had to do what I did. I know you'll never forgive me and I'll never see you again, but I truly did love you."_

"That's so adorable!"

"Don't believe a word of it. He said it to me himself that snakes are the best actors."

"I believe that."

"Why?"

"That's a long classified story."

"I understand."

"Good." Sam suddenly wondered if she had given away too much information. She couldn't help but have a flashback of Linea. Then much more recently there was the "Replicarter" incident. Come to think of it, the nickname actually worked. However, by trusting aliens she had left the SGC open to an attack. As she walked away from the infirmary this graced her mind, and she bit her lip. But it was too late for second thoughts.


	11. Stargate revealed to her creator

_Chapter Twelve (Present Day- The SGC)_

Alana was released from the infirmary, under guard to make sure she didn't make anyone become violent again. She was confined to the non-classified sections, but she longed to see the Stargate. Whenever Sam walked into the room she begged to see it. After a threat assessment was made, it was decided that she would be allowed to see it.

"Well, are you ready to see what your creation has evolved to become?"

"Finally!" Alana exclaimed in glee.

The blast door opened and Alana walked into the Gate room. She looked up in wonder at the Stargate that had come from her two small rings. She walked slowly up the ramp and pressed a hand to the cool stone.

"They added extra detail I see." She pointed to the carvings on the band of naquadah to the interior stationary piece of the gate. This was the part that wasn't the moving track.

"Did the inner track of yours spin?" Sam asked earnestly about the gate

"There was no inner track. There was no need, the Dialing Device detected the constellations and submitted a subspace code to the Stargate once it locked onto the locator star. They changed my design of the activation capacitors as well." Alana fingered one of the orange chevrons with a look of distaste.

"We have found research that was in your written language. Maybe that could close the gap between your knowledge and the evolved form of the Stargate."

"I would like that very much."

"Right this way."

Sam led Alana into her lab and picked up a heavy manual that was written in Ancient. Alana staggered under the weight of the book and flipped it open. Pages and pages were filled with documented research and Alana read it speedily, apparently taking in every word. She then pulled a device from her bag and inserted the razor then needle into a nearly invisible port behind her right ear. She concentrated hard and a small beep was heard. She snapped open the pack and removed a blood red crystal.

"I can interface this with one of your computers and give you all the information translated into English." Alana stated and held the small jewel in her hand.

"I'm not sure we can interface with that."

"Then I will build a terminal." Alana said and then asked

"Will you direct me to supplies that I will be free to use?"

"Sure." Sam set Alana up in an empty room with various nonessential things from the base. Alana began work immediately and in about half an hour she presented her finished work. She put the crystal in the slot and pulled up the display. Sam scrolled through to find that though the heavy volume occupied innumerable pages, most of it was because the ancient's writing was so much bigger than English. She read the information and turned to Alana.

"Could you build a Stargate?"

"Of course, though I would need to be supplied with sufficient naquadah."

"How much do you need?"

"It all depends on the size, if you want one that will accommodate a transport pod then..."

"What is a transport pod?"

"I believe it is similar in design to what you referred to as a 'Puddle Jumper' ."

"Ah."

"Like I was saying, if you wish it to accommodate a transport pod, it will use considerably more naquadah than a Stargate that is eight feet tall."

"How much would it take to make the little one?"

"Forty five thousand pounds of refined naquadah."

"Weapons grade?"

"No, just enough to be stripped of impurities, if the vein has not run dry, there is most definitely that much on the nearest world in the Ancient Alterran Empire, that was Adybosa."

"That planet has since been destroyed."

"Oh."

"Are you sure it takes forty five thousand pounds?"

"I am including the weight of the dialer."

"Oh, that is still a lot."

"I realize that much of the naquadah deposits have been mined in the last sixty five million years."

"Yeah."

"Would you like to know only the weight of the dialer, since you obviously already have a functional Stargate?"

"That would be a lot better."

"The full size dialer requires fifty pounds of naquadah."

"Would weapons grade bars work?"

"Yes, definitely."

"Sergeant, what did we do with the box of weapons grade naquadah that Daniel tricked away from the Lucien Alliance?"

"I think it is in the armory."

"Were there any plans for it?"

"No, a lot of experimentation, but other than that—"

"Ha ha!" Sam exclaimed and threw her arms in the air.

"What is the cause of your jubilation?"

"We have a sixty five pound case of refined weapons grade naquadah that one of my teammates stole."

"Is he the one that resembles the traitor?"

"Daniel?"

"Yes, with the name so much like the hated one."

"Yes, with a quick mind he deceived the traders and got away."

"I suppose I must admire his effort."

"You don't have to."

"I know." Alana replied. Sam looked rather annoyed but said nothing.

The case of naquadah arrived and Alana said

"I now require fifty four identical sensor crystals."

"Fifty four?"

"Yes, thirty eight of them detect the constellations and the other sixteen detect internal malfunctions etc."

"Lieutenant?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Do you think the Tok'ra would give us fifty four identical sensor crystals?"

"I do not know, the Tok'ra have been less sympathetic to our requests since...oh ma'am I am so sorry." The lieutenant gained a look of horror at what she had been about to say.

"It's all right lieutenant, I knew this would happen, someday."

"It doesn't make it hurt less."

"I know, contact the Tok'ra."

"Yes ma'am."


	12. A certain Tok'ra's opinion

_Chapter Thirteen (Present Day—Tok'ra Base)_

"High chancellor?"

"Yes?"

"We have received a request from the humans of Earth."

"For what do they ask?"

"Fifty four data storage sensor crystals."

"Why would we be inclined to acknowledge this request?"

"They have as their guest an Alterran."

"A living breathing Gatebuilder?"

"_The_ Gatebuilder, sixty five million years ago she invented the design for the Stargates we know today."

"Supply them with the needed crystals under the condition that we be allowed to interview this Alterran."

"Yes ma'am." The High chancellor, both symbiote and host issued a mental sigh of jubilation.

_The original Gatebuilder was a woman!_


	13. Finding out about herself

_Chapter Fourteen (Present Day, SGC)_

Alana sat in Teal'c's quarters a few hours after the request for the crystals was sent. Teal'c was teaching her how to meditate to possibly relieve some of her violent outbursts.

"Imagine the center of your mind..." Alana imagined the epicenter of her thoughts as a small black marble.

"...now, remove that center so that it is before you..." The skin around her eyes clenched shut as she drew the marble out before her eyes.

"...imagine all of the energies in your body flowing out, being cleansed, and flowing back in." Small streams of orange leapt out of her extremities and flowed back in as cool blue shimmers. That was how she imagined it at least. She opened her eyes and looked enigmatically ahead of herself.

"Is there something the matter?" Teal'c asked. The young woman sitting before him had not blinked. She had the solemnity of a first prime.

"No, there is nothing wrong. However, this meditation has soothed my instincts." Alterran phrasing was similar to that of Jaffa. In that fact, the explanations were technical and often used more descriptive words for a situation.

"My mood is lightened in the knowledge that you feel that way."

"Do you perform this type of meditation every day?"

"It was formerly a part of a daily ritual. However, due to the fact that I no longer carry a symbiote, it is no longer necessary."

Alana thought back to the meditation. She found something she couldn't explain. While in the relaxed state she saw herself walking through an Alterran laboratory. The door had a carving on it that said "Atlantis". A data terminal was turned on and the screen was streaming with characters. A voice sounded behind her and said

_Accept the gift of your intelligence, child. Accept your calling._ She turned around in the dream-like state and saw a woman that looked very much like herself. The woman disappeared when Alana opened her mouth to say something, and that was when she had snapped awake.

The young woman seemed to be nice enough. But there was something about her eyes, the color or the natural sparkle to them gave Teal'c a rather disconcerted feeling. That in it self disconcerted Teal'c, because of the simple fact that very few things could rattle him.

Alana, legs still crossed, stood up and then unhooked her ankles. She bowed slightly and then turned on her heel. Her quiet formal manner impressed Teal'c and the next day he gave her one of his prized candles as a token of cooperation between Alana and the SGC. The small candle was placed in her bag and carried around all the time.

She was never separate from the canvas sack.


	14. The building of a DHD

_Chapter Fifteen (Present Day, SGC, crystal shipment received)_

"Samantha?"

"Yes?"

"Have you even learned my name yet?"

"I don't think I have with all of the rushing around, DHD building and stuff, what is it?"

"Alana."

"That's a nice name."

"Not really, I came across a library of meanings and my name in Alterran means 'High one'. I was born to be a slave in my father's household."

"Hey, we encountered a world through the Stargate where women were bought and sold as commodities. I was sold to a rival chieftain for his daughter, whom was loved by the man who kidnapped me."

"How did you escape?"

"My team rescued me, and then I challenged Turghan to a fight and won. The Shavadai women were free as a tribute to my memory."

"That is wonderful."

"Yes, now, how do we build a DHD?"

"You have to connect each symbol to the corresponding crystal within the ellipse of the central processor." Samantha looked up, surprised to hear Jack O'neill describing how to build a DHD.

"How dare you!" She added a dirty look to her exclamatory phrase and the general smiled wanly

"That's insubordination Colonel."

"I don't care, General, you retained the knowledge, the Asgaard just toned it down so it didn't overtake your brain. Why didn't you ever tell us you still retained some knowledge?"

"Yes I did. I'm sure of it."

"No, you didn't" Replied Daniel.

"Did."

"Didn't"

Did, mouthed Jack looking at Sam for validation. She just shook her head.

"I thought I did."

"You mean we could have had all that help all those years, sir?" She was dismayed. "Why didn't you offer to help before now? Or, build us a DHD? You knew we needed it." Sam waited for an explanation. Jack had none.

Interrupting, Alana commented, "He's right, you do have to individually connect them." Alana looked up from a complex scientific equation she had just written down. Jack walked over and peered over her shoulder.

"That's not right."

"Sir?" Samantha Carter was thoroughly confused. Jack O'Neill had been accused of many things, insubordination mostly. Correcting complex scientific equations had not been one of them.

"It's base eight math, not base six."

Realization dawned on Alana and she flipped two variables from the position they were in the equation.

"Does that look better?"

"Yeah. How are you thinking of adapting the processors?"

"The more refined veins channel energy more efficiently, if I can get the striations to line up it should work."

"You're awfully smart for a little kid."

"I'm probably about sixty four million, nine hundred and ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and fifty older than you are."

"You've been in suspended animation, it doesn't count."

"I don't care, I originally designed this thing."

"You built the first Stargate?"

"Yes, I planned to enter it in the Huritatrean competition for yearly scientific development, but my husband stole my research and no doubt claimed it as his own."

"Well, you're still way smarter than we are."

"No kidding, what was made worse was that when I was revived your friend Daniel was standing in front of the pod. I must confess that I was afraid of what he would do to me. I thought he had come back to boast that he stole it. I lost consciousness and when I woke up, I am afraid I threatened him rather severely."

"So I heard."

"Then this one flung him across the room."

"Carter?"

"He insulted my intelligence sir; I did more than stick a few computers together and slap on a label that said dialing sequencer. And, then it seems Alana here is empathic. Her emotions just took over and oops... sorry Daniel." Daniel huffed a little, but motioned he understood. Jack continued his exposition.

"I know you did Carter. Now, about this DHD."

"I know, I have been reading the research, much as adapted about the design in sixty million years."

"I have the updated version."

"Really? You retained the knowledge?"

"Yeah, I got the repository stuck in my brain. My information is from just before the plague, so that's about as up to date as you can get on the stuff."

"We must begin work immediately."

"Yeah, we probably should. How are we going to get sixty-five pounds of weapons grade naquadah bars to look like a DHD?"

"Why do you call it that?"

"DHD? Well, it stands for Dial Home Device, there's one on pretty much every planet."

"All right. I just remembered!" Alana put a hand to her forehead and then reached into her bag. She pulled out a large roll of shiny silver wire and showed it to Jack.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"If you were thinking it was superconductive connecting wire, you guessed right."

"Yes!"

"I didn't know you knew so much about the DHD sir."

"Do you remember who got you out of that situation with the locked up DHD? Without my plans you would have burned to death."

"And I thank you for that sir. I'll be back in a little while."

"Okay, the first thing we have to do is make the bottom shaft that holds the internal detection crystals." Jack began to draw out a bird's eye view.

"If we keep all of the crystals lined up on the back wall, then we can employ a hinged door that will allow easy access for repairs."

"Good idea."

"Now, the superconductive wire will have to run from all of those to the central control crystal."

"We didn't get one of those from the Tok'ra."

"That could be a problem."

"But we still have the one we got from the Russians, before the DHD blew to smithereens."

"Okay, that works." Alana knew neither who the Russians were, nor what the phrase 'blown to smithereens' meant, but she got a pretty good idea

"Each sensor crystal must be programmed to detect and lock onto a specific constellation."

"How do we do that?"

"We can interface each crystal with the terminal I built and individually program it."

"Then what?"

"We have to build the electronic mechanism that buffers the naquadah keys, but sends the impulse to the crystal to detect the constellation."

"We have to make thirty nine of those?"

"Yep."

"Oy."

"They aren't hard to make, it is a package of liquid naquadah activated by the contact of the superconductive wire. Do you have access to these staff weapons I read of in your reports?"

"Teal'c?" Jack called loudly through the hall.

"Yes O'Neill?" Teal'c suddenly appeared behind him.

"Did you by any chance confiscate the staff weapons the kids were using for the final challenge?"

"I did O'Neill."

"How many were there?"

"I believe we collected a quantity of seventy staff weapons."

"Can we sacrifice the power source of thirty nine of them?"

"Why would you need them?"

"We need the liquid naquadah for a DHD."

"Very well." Thirty-nine staff weapons were delivered and dismantled. Both the liquid naquadah core and the linking mechanism were removed and laid aside.

"We have to build the holder for the crystals first."

"Yes we do, and we have to link the superconductive wire beneath all of the crystals."

"Why?"

"The crystals have dynamic memory, they need a constant power source to retain their programming."

"And what supplies this power?" Jack was getting irritable.

"Do you have any more of these liquid naquadah cores?"

"Yes."

"I need three more to provide indefinite power to the crystals."

"Teal'c, I need three more staff weapons."

"Very well." Teal'c delivered them and Alana broke the casing in half with her bare hands. Jack looked at her astonished.

"Is there something unusual about my strength?"

"Yeah."

"I suppose the second evolution was a weaker version." Alana shrugged and reached inside the open casing and plucked out the core.

"You might want to be careful that can..."

"Blow up, I know, liquid naquadah is more stable the cooler the environment, I would be much more careful extracting the core on a sunny battlefield."

"Ah."

Alana repeated the process and then got a glass beaker. Carefully, as though breaking an egg, she emptied the three cores of naquadah into the beaker. Taking the three empty cores, she crushed them together in her now gloved fingers and reordered the matter. She was left with an elliptical structure with two thin spots. She took tiny lengths of the superconductive wire and coiled them. She attached them to the inner side of the thin spots and attached two more coils to the outside. She poured the naquadah back in through a small hole and sealed up the opening. She placed the naquadah power source below the area where the master crystal would rest and put an end of superconductive wire to one of the coils. She proceeded to wind the wire around through the areas that would hold the thirty-nine other crystals and then back to the other coil on the naquadah packet.

"What does that do?"

"This ensures a smooth flow of energy from the naquadah to the crystals and back again to be recharged."

"Oh."

Alana proceeded to wrap each of the thirty-nine naquadah cores in the wire and left a whisk like fiber pattern hanging down past it. Her nimble fingers wrapped the crystals tightly in the wire and set them in the shell. She layered up the naquadah that would divide the keys and then proceeded to individually shape the keys with the thirty-nine symbols. Suddenly she stopped and asked

"Do you want the sealant on the keys?"

"What does it do?"

"Makes the keys look nicer and on desert planets protects against erosion."

"Why not? It'd be a nice touch." Alana felt along her right arm until she decided on a place just above her right elbow. She took the knife she had used to carve the symbols and drove it into the spot. Without even a grimace of pain, she turned her arm over the beaker and a clear, viscous substance flowed from her arm into it. Jack looked horrified and Alana said

"I am going to assume that you do not produce excess immunity serum."

"No, is that why you healed so fast?"

"Yes." Alana ended up extracting around three hundred ml of sealant and proceeded to pour it with precision over each key and carved out symbol. The symbol itself was darkened and the entire surface became smooth. With a rainbow glint that indicated the last one had dried, Alana attached the naquadah packets to the underside of each key. With a small device, she checked which crystal was locked onto which constellation. She mounted the keys and then put into place with precision the clear center dome.

"Shall we test it?"

"We have to connect it to the Stargate."

"Right, I knew that." Jack tried to cover his blunder, but Alana was thoroughly amused.

"It weighs fifty pounds."

"I'll get Teal'c to carry it. Teal'c!"

"Yes O'Neill?"

"Would you mind carrying this down to the Control room?"

"Indeed I would not."

"Okay then."

Teal'c picked up the DHD as though it weighed nothing and the three got in the elevator. When they arrived in the Control room, Teal'c set the DHD down where there was enough space to move on either side of it.

"Alana?"

"Yes Jack?"

"When will it be ready to test?"

"As soon as I activate the subspace connection. I should also let you know that if you press the center dome it will cut off power to an incoming Stargate connection."

"Cool, that's almost as good as the iris."

"It is faster than the time it takes to close your metal barrier. I have also installed a button that, when coupled with this device, creates a force-field that will protect your Stargate, but is faster to raise and lower than the barrier you already have installed."

"Okay Alana, you can stop shooting down the hard work Samantha Carter has put into this."

"I am merely trying to make it more efficient."

"Okay, will you activate the connection?"

"I will install the shield device as well as the sub-space receiver." Alana entered the Gate room and ran a clear film around the inside of the Stargate. She then attached a small receiver to the circle on the point of origin symbol. Arriving back in the control room, she said

"It should work now." Sam stepped forward and cautiously put in the first symbol. Chevron one lit up. She put in the other five for the destination and pressed the Earth symbol. Taking a deep breath, she pressed on the clear dome. Blue light erupted from the center of the Stargate and sank back into an event horizon. Sam pushed a small button on the side of the DHD top and a slightly opaque barrier appeared in front of the Stargate. She pressed it again and the shield lowered. She pressed the center dome again and the subspace connection broke off, so the gate shut down.

"Thank you Alana, for everything you've done." Sam turned to the girl in thanks, Alana acknowledged and then said:

"Thank you all very much for your hospitality. Now, I will accept the gift of my intelligence that I was denied for several million years." She faded into a glowing energy form and her face appeared in the center. She rose up through the ceiling and found herself experiencing a sensation that was both free-fall and rising through water. When she appeared a woman began to walk toward her.

"Alana." The woman's voice was gentle and reassuring

"Sheria? Is it you?"

"Yes child."

"Is my mother here?"

"I am afraid my young one that you are about a week too late. Your mother sacrificed herself to enter eternal battle with an enemy of this galaxy in order to save it."

"Why?"

"She did it because she is that kind of a person, however, one of her punishments for the last thousand years was to watch that enemy do whatever he wanted."

"Why?"

"She helped him to ascend, and we are not to do that. It was her punishment because he was on one of the planes of existence between this and the human plane."

"What good did my mother do?"

"She saved a young child at Kheb, she helped Daniel Jackson to ascend, twice mind you, and she selflessly sacrificed herself to save life in the galaxy when Anubis was about to destroy it."

"Will I ever know how great my mother was?"

"You have the knowledge of the universe now and knowledge of everything in it. You already know how great your mother was." Alana listened to Sheria's words and closed her eyes. She saw the universe, a plan that included stars galaxies and Stargates. She saw every small detail of it and beyond the edge, dark matter. Alana opened her eyes again and said

"I only wish that someday I can be like my mother, Oma Desala."

"I'm sure you will be Alana, I'm sure you will be."

End


End file.
